Austin Millz has had an exciting past few months, and he is only getting started. Following the success of singles “Inhale / Exhale (ft. Sabrina Claudio)”, “Freeway (ft. Estelle)”, and “Breathless”, Millz is set to release his debut EP, Breathwork, on 2nd June. With a focus single “On & On”, the six-track project feels as familiar and timeless as it does innovative and unique. Telling a complete story of a night out, it begins with the excitement and anticipation of a pre-game, moving onto the dance floor with soul and sensuality. As we make our way through the night, we get to the afterparty and ultimately the early hours of the morning, with the air of mystery that hazy sunrises evoke. Upbeat and positive, the electronic-dance EP it’s bound to be the sound of the summer.
We had the pleasure of hearing from Austin Millz about what music means to him, his collaborative process with Estelle on “Freeway”, and the future of his artistry.
Watch the visuals for “Freeway”…
Now for the interview…
Where are you speaking from?
I am speaking live from Los Angeles, fresh off of Coachella weekend one!
What did you eat for breakfast?
Honestly, I went straight to lunch. I went to Sweetgreen, got a buffalo chicken bowl, got the protein in to start my day.
Can you talk us through your music?
Yeah, for sure. Music is the epitome of me, music is what embodies me. Music is what I create, music is my passion. The process, all the way to the finishing touches, all the way to the performance, music is key to me.
Do you remember the first song you ever made?
Honestly, I used to just make beats all day every day. I’d put them on CDs, burn them, and yeah, I would just have a plethora of beats around. And at first I didn’t play them, but then I started selling beats and having my beats all through my high school to all the artists out there. So yeah, I was doing that. Those were the first beats I’d ever made. And the first song I ever made… I can’t really recall the first song because I was so entrenched in the beats that I don’t really remember the first complete record that I made. But I’d definitely say it all started with the beats.
How would you describe the progression of your sound from when you first started to now?
The progression has been a journey to say the least because you know, when I first started, I didn’t have my sound, I was looking for my sound, I was trying to find that signature. I was trying to find that link, that “aha” moment. And I feel like 2019 is when I came into my sound and I figured it out. So it was a great progression, you know from sampling different records from vinyl and just all obscure genres, to now where I’m at with the dance music. And that’s where I lay my head. That’s where my home base is — the dance music to keep you moving and grooving. Positive, happy, global music. That’s what I’m making right now.
Who are some of the artists on your current rotation?
I would say right now as I was just listening to Jungle, they’re in my rotation for sure, Jungle, Tame Impala, Cleo Sol, J Dilla, Jamiroquai, Daft Punk… that’s where I’m at right now with it.
What was the inspiration for “Freeway”?
When I did that beat, I was just in the zone. It was one of those days where I was cranking out beats, and I just came up with this chord progression that just stuck with me. And then the drums came right after, and it just had this bounce. I sat on the beat for a year, trying to find the right person for it. And then I reached out to Estelle. And a couple months later, she reached back out to me. And then we had a session, and the track just came out. It was just magic. When she went into the booth, I knew we had one.
What was it like to work with Estelle?
It was a beautiful experience. She’s such a professional. It worked out so smoothly and I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was a great, smooth, wonderful process working with her.
How do you approach collaboration compared to working alone?
When I’m working alone, I tend to experiment, creating innovativeness, just laying my palate and just trying to do things out of the box. And then that’s kind of where my foundation starts when I’m working alone, working on beats. And then when a collaboration happens midway and I get that artist for the feature, it’s a working environment where everyone’s open to interpretation, open to new ideas, open to trying out new things as well. And I like it because you feed off each other. Collaboration is such a nice process because you can learn new things. Just like working on a group project in school, you can do different things and you can compliment the other person. So I love collaboration.
What advice would you give artists who are just starting out?
I would say consistency is key. Try different things, keep working at your craft, don’t stop. Every day, learn something new and just keep at it. You know, it might not be your day, but as long as you’re sharpening your tools and going forward to that goal, it’s going to always help. Consistency is definitely key.
Where do you see artistry headed in the future?
For me, artistry is definitely headed into an innovative creative space. Definitely even more than the music, you know? I want to dabble in other creative and artistic fields. But music is the centrepiece of my creative ability and my creative palette and my creative brain. I definitely see my artistry headed global. I want to go more international in the near future in terms of records I’m releasing with different international collaborations and just touring more internationally and definitely having a global impact. I’m very excited about the future.